


Running out of time

by gambas_droobles



Series: shibalev whumptober 2020 [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Established Relationship, M/M, Major Character Injury, Whump, alternative ending, as in it has two endings, but that depends on the ending you choose, i was too sad and hurt to leave this with one ending, lots of hurt ig
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:48:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26734615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gambas_droobles/pseuds/gambas_droobles
Summary: A building collapses in on itselfWhumptober, prompt 4:Running out of time(caged | Buried alive |Collapsed building)
Relationships: Haiba Lev/Shibayama Yuuki
Series: shibalev whumptober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1945864
Kudos: 17





	1. a collapsed building

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to do something special for sblv this October so I decided to participate in whumptober, so I chose 5 random prompts with help from a friend. Hopefully, I'll post a fic every week of October, but for now, I only have two (counting this one) written, so pls wish me luck <3
> 
> This work has two different endings: the original whump and a quite sad ending and the second one, a little bit more hopeful (but still sad). Here's how you can orientate around them:  
> Chapter 1: the main event  
> Chapter 2: original ending  
> Chapter 3: hopeful ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the numbers are time as in hh:mm:ss:millisec

**17:47:27:323**  
The call came in when the building already started to collapse. 

If there was at least some luck left, then there could have been some survivors, escaping the moment they felt the building fall into itself. But with how they got the situation reported, no one knew what happened, only explosions began suddenly and in the underground parking. 

There shouldn’t have been any way for someone to escape, so all Lev could only hope for some survivors. 

Their emergency squad was out in no less than 45 seconds and nonetheless - not soon enough. Lev wasn’t driving this time, and his crewmates wouldn’t tell him where the bombing happened. He had a very bad feeling about it, but what possibly could make a collapsed building with no survivors any worse? That was too terrifying to think about. 

**17:59:44:116**  
But then they arrived and Lev suddenly felt as if the building fell on him.

**18:00:00:089**  
They were standing in front of Yuuki’s place of work. Or where it should have been. 

A huge pile of rocks and gravel was occupying the space where “Daily Messenger” magazine’s main office should have been. The tall male felt as some of his team ran past him to the rescue, to try and clear out space and find any if not all survivors. As he stood there, he could’ve sworn he felt his head go white and the ring around his finger gain a few extra pounds. 

He hadn’t driven him to work that day. His shift started earlier than usual so he left without even saying goodbye. Usually, they would share coffee in the mornings and Shibayama might’ve cooked something. If it was Lev’s day off, then he would try making breakfast himself, waking up a little bit earlier for that. Then they’d both get into his car and he would have dropped Yuuki off at the entrance to the office. Before letting his husband out, he would’ve leaned in for a goodbye kiss and watch the smaller man disappear behind the front doors of his office. Most times, Lev would have driven to his stressed filled daily job only after that, only after spending every last free minute with the person he loved the most.

Except, not today. Someone called in reporting people drowning and they asked him to meet at the place. It turned out to be two very drunk young adults, trying to have the time of their life and falling asleep as soon as they were covered with blankets. Both persons were fine in the end and Lev wasn’t needed there much. He regretted going even more now. 

**18:01:01:314**  
His day turned out to be quite busy, he only had time to check his phone during lunch break. There were a couple of messages from his husband informing him that he took the train to work and arrived safely. He also told Lev that today was supposed to be an easy day and there was a possibility he could go home earlier than usual. While chewing on an onigiri that Shibayama packed for him the day before, Lev typed out that he would see if he can come back home earlier too. That since they called him in earlier than usual, he would also leave a tad bit early. If he was able of course. 

**18:01:01:438**  
The call came in when he was about to walk out the door. 

Now he felt like a ghost, like a shell of a man, something inside of him clicked and he ran. He ran ahead, not listening to anyone around him, he had his instruments on him, he didn’t need to stop. 

Shibayama worked on the fifth floor of the nine-story building, his office had a window and wasn’t too far away from the fire exit. 

**18:02:01:009**  
He was at the edge of the ruins. There weren’t any visible bodies around him and he moved ahead, into still unsettled dust. Turning on his flashlight and putting his glasses on. He tried listening in, tried to hear something over the gloom silence. Tried to silence the buzzing in his ears. A few feet to the left and he fell to his knees, pushing aside some of the ruins and looking for any sign of a human body. 

**18:03:05:237**  
He found a body. Female, long dark hair, probably dead, but there was still hope. As they learned and practiced in their daily drills, he informed the medics of a body and where he was. When he saw Fukunaga running his way, he moved and continued looking. 

**18:07:40:206**  
Another body. This time it was male. Their head was squashed under a rock and it was now almost impossible to recognize them, but Lev knew it wasn’t Yuuki. He informed the medics of another survivor and moved on. 

It went on like that for a while. Lev felt numb, moving automatically, finding - examining - reporting, person after a person, not staying with any of them for too long. Somewhere in his head, he understood how severe the situation was, how much grief it would bring, how many people were lost. But he couldn’t bring himself to accept it. Not now, not when he was trying to save as many people as he could. Not when there was a hole forming inside of him. Not when all of his insides threatened to dissipate and leave just the emptiness inside, longingness. Not when hope was so thin. 

He didn’t count how many people he found, didn’t look into their faces. Lev couldn’t bring himself to, he was too afraid of what he might see. Scared of what he might not see, not find. 

**19:01:36:748**  
They cleared out what looked like the top four floors. Tow trucks came to take away the ruins, to clear space for the rescuers. The night brigade came in to help, those who’ve been there from the beginning were free to take a ten-minute break, rehydrate, sit down for a while. Lev wasn’t free, he was pulled out of the ruins by his captain and ordered to sit down for his break. 

This was impossible, he couldn’t afford sitting on the side-lines no matter how long. He had to go back into the field, had to continue looking, pulling out humans, searching for survivors. Lev couldn’t stop moving, couldn’t lose his momentum. But he was forced out, sat down, given a water bottle. His hands shook. Lev couldn’t bring the bottle to his lips without spilling even if he tried. So he just sat staring at it, hoping against everything, that this ten-minutes of plain torture would run out before his thoughts caught up to him.

But then it hit. 

He felt his eyes burning before he felt the tear run down his cheek. Another one followed suit, and then another one from the other eye. Lev dropped the bottle in favor of bringing up his hands to whip away at those treacherous tears.

**19:03:06:544**  
Lev was sobbing uncontrollably bent forward over his own legs. He hadn’t found him. He didn’t know where Yuuki was. If he was alive or under the shamble. A comforting hand appeared on his back. Someone was probably saying something to him. He didn’t hear. Lev pulled his head up, teary eyes looking around before he spotted their truck. Not letting any second thought in, he stood up and ran to the vehicle, looking for his bag. As soon as the item was within his reach, Haiba pulled his phone out. 

One new message. 

_**Kotik**_  
_I’ll run by the market. going to make that miso soup for dinner <3 _  
-delivered 15:16

Lev fell down to his knees. Tear trails on his dust-covered face turning into rivers as he clutched the device to his chest. He felt a sob find a way past his lips and he let it go. And all that came after it. He cried, sitting on the ground, in front of their truck, his back turned to the ruins. Opening eyes felt impossible and he let the comforting hands stay around him as he cried his eyes out. 

**02:37:09:121**  
There were six survivors. All of them had fatal wounds and it will be a miracle if someone survives the night. 


	2. Original ending

Lev wasn’t the one to find Yuuki’s body. When he came back after his third hour in the ruins, Teshiro gently pulled him away from their truck to the medic’s tent. There, on a bed across from the entrance, he saw a familiar silhouette and in the next moment, he was bent over it. 

Yuuki’s face was covered in dust, his eyes were closed and his hair was a mess. 

Lev felt tears burning his eyes once again, as he took Yuuki’s cold hand into his own. He let his tears out as he dropped his forehead onto Yuuki’s. 

He stayed bend over there for what felt like an eternity. His head was empty, unwilling to accept what was before him. He felt numb, and hot, and cold - all at the same time. The emptiness inside him grew and he longed to see Yuuki’s eyes full of life and determination again. He regretted not following their routine that morning, he wished he could have skipped today and make Shibayma work from home. Then they would have cooked lunch together and Lev would have annoyed Yuuki into giving him kisses while the other man tried to work. For dinner, they could have gone out, go somewhere fancy. Maybe they should have taken their vacation days and go to the hot springs. 

But the rational part of Lev’s brain knew that he wouldn’t have stayed back today. That if there was any sort of emergency - he would go and do his best to save everyone. Even if he didn’t go that morning to the beach, he still would have come in and ended up here, at the collapsed building. He knew that Shibayma would still come into the office to bring over his finished article to his editor and go over the notes. 

Lev knew that it was who they were, that brought them here, that there wasn’t anything they could do to change their fate. This was how fate decided things would end. 

There won’t be Shibayama Yuuki anymore.

He won’t have Shibayma anymore.

They won’t stay in bed late together, won’t spend a lazy day off on the couch, cuddled up and watching a dumb movie. He won’t be able to take his husband to a fancy restaurant, they won’t spend their vacations at the hot springs. Lev won’t be able to annoy Yuuki into giving him more kisses.

He won’t see his eyes again, won’t hear his laugh. Won’t eat breakfast made by Yuuki. Won’t have onigiris packed in his bento box for the next day at work. 

He didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye.

Lev was dismissed from service after three hours in the field.

There were six survivors. Four of them were crippled for the rest of their lives. Two of them were still in a coma.

None of them were Shibayama Yuuki.


	3. Hopeful ending

Lev was dismissed from service after five hours in the field.

Lev wasn’t the one to find Yuuki’s body. When he came back after his third hour in the ruins, Teshiro gently pulled him away from their truck to the ambulances. They stopped near the second away from the ruins. In two long strides, Lev was by his husband’s side. 

The dust from Yuuki’s face was messily smudged. Lev accepted a wet towel offered to him by one of the nurses and carefully washed his husband’s face. He was connected to a respirator and an IV. He was breathing. Lev felt more tears pool at his eyes and he let a small smile show on his face. 

“You will be okay. We’ll be okay,” he whispered. 

A nurse informed him that they’ll be taking Yuuki in for surgery. The man had broken both of his legs, a few ribs, and his left hand. He also had a concussion and was badly bruised. Luckily, Shibayama didn’t lose much blood and they already performed an emergency operation, securing his lungs and closing the gaps that they had. She also told Lev that they will be moving him to the hospital for a second operation and further supervision over his condition. They were asked to wait a few minutes more so that Lev, Shibayama’s husband, could be reassured, but now they really needed to leave. 

After kissing Yuuki on the forehead, Lev stepped out of the emergency vehicle and watched as it drove away the same moment the doors closed. 

He felt like he could breathe again. Of course, this wasn’t the end of their fight. Shibayma still had to survive the night, the doctors had to take a proper look at his condition, there still could be something hiding. Lev couldn’t get his hopes too high. 

But realizing that Yuuki won’t die under a pile of rocks, that he had a real chance of surviving now - was like a second breath for him. Lev went back into the field, renewed. Anxious, but hopeful. They might still run out of time, but at least it didn’t happen yet.

**Author's Note:**

> I proclaimed myself shibalev CEO on [twitter](https://twitter.com/gambas_official) and if you want more of them pls consider dropping a follow and mb dming me UwU


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